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Yuuji
The island nation of Yuuji is the setting for the majority of Rock Candy 'and its incarnations, as well as the absolute epicenter of the story's lore. It is named after it's first empress and founder 'Sora Yuuji, and represents the birthplace of the mythical Angels and their Ichor. Story Sora Yuuji was a rich Japanese business owner, living the absolute life as her company raked in everything she could possibly need. Sora's company, named Yuuji Aesthetics, created things like headbands and decorative contacts, all of which usually glowed bright colours in the dark. It had become an extremely popular thing across Asia, and had just begun to root itself in the West as well. However, in spite of all of this, Sora was never a satisfied person. She wanted to be a mother, but never met anybody who would take her quirky personality seriously enough to date her, let alone marry and have kids, and so she spent most of her time trying in vain. One night, Sora began hearing a deep, soothing voice in her head, asking her to listen to it. Thinking she was losing her mind, she tried to ignore it, and reported it to a psychiatrist the next day. Seeing as they had evidence there was something wrong with her, Sora assumed it had just been a long night. However, the next night, after the sun set, she heard it again. It begged her to listen, claiming it needed her help. Finally she opted to let it speak, and she sat down in her home to listen. It claimed it was from another world, speaking to her with the last of it's power. It was a being named Descent, and it's world was disappearing from existence. It had been equalized, and this being was one of the only things left in it, and it refused to let the memories it's gathered die with it's world. It's request was that Sora help it in bringing the memories of it's world into her's. Obviously, she thought that was pure lunacy, but Descent offered her a deal. It would prove it was real by telling her the exact location of a mythical stone which it had injected into her world, one she'd never have known about unless Descent was real. Sora was reluctant, but finally agreed to let him, feeling like there was more to this than she expected. After being given a location, she hired a mining company to dig straight down to where Descent claimed this magical substance would be, and to her unbelievable surprise, it was there. Bright, glowing, rainbow crystals, ones Descent told her he called Crystal Ichor. It was the frozen equivalent of Descent's blood, and supposedly had power beyond human understanding. Realizing this was all 100% real, Sora was now both on-board and very hesitant. She wasn't sure if she wanted to dedicate her life now to helping this otherworldly being when she might have to give up everything she has to do it, but Descent offered her one more gift in exchange, one he had saved until now to offer. Descent wanted to mix his Ichor with the human species, a species which had shown to be infinitely resilient, one he could trust to carry on his memories until their own world's equalization. He wanted Sora to be he host to this new species, one he called Angels. Realizing his intent, Sora was still mixed. On one hand, this was everything she wanted, but on the other, it's being permitted by a being she can't see, only feel and hear vaguely, like a dream. Eventually, after some thought, she decided if she left this being behind, she'd be letting down a legacy infinitely bigger than herself, and so she agreed, with one caveat. If she's going to be the host for these new children, they have to still function similar to humans. She wasn't willing to give up the mostly normal feelings of being a mom, and to this she was surprised to hear Descent had no objections. There would be minor changes, ones that represented Descent's blood, but enough humanity to still be human. Satisfied with their deal, the two began to prepare a collection of people who would be suitable as the parents for the first ever generation of Angels, but once they'd done so, they needed a home for them. Sora knew from the outset that humanity would react terribly to a new off-species of human with mythic powers, and so she decided to bring her colony, mostly comprised of people who once worked for her, to an island that had been pretty much totally undisturbed by humanity for hundreds of years. She effectively disappeared from regular society, and in her new home, which she semi-selfishly titled the nation of Yuuji, began to lay the groundwork for her many future generations. Geography Yuuji consists of a relatively large island placed in the ocean roughly equally between Asia and North America, although it's exact location remains a mystery to the outside world. A few smaller islands dot the outer edge of the land mass, and the entire area is covered by a massive, impenetrable dome, through which only light and particles can travel. This dome effectively isolates Yuuji from the outside world entirely. Yuuji's mass is divided into 5 different named districts, all of which are based on a similar monetary class and societal function. They range from minimum cost housing to practically un-affordable, but their living cost rarely correlates with it's value to the nation. These, in no particular order, are as follows: Yume-Sora District Yume-Sora, named after Sora Yuuji and her connection to the Dream God, is the only district to not reach the edge of the land mass. It's located directly in the center of the country, and contains all of Yuuji's capital structures and cultural touchstones, namely the Citadel. Living here is exclusively possible by being in some way related to or involved with Sora's bloodline and Yuuji's leadership, and thus the district is very small for its value. Nayome District Nayome is one of the lower-class districts, housing the highest population of all 5, and yet still being worth less than all of the ones that border it. Nayome is far from particularly underpaid, but many citizens find themselves forced to live with friends and family for their whole lives due to the difficult monetary conditions, and fine foods like fish are absolutely impossible to afford when living here. Yae-Jo District Yae-Jo, named after Sora's first daughter, is the highest class non-governmental district, being home to expensive housing like the Marble Towers, as well as a majority of celebrity figures living here. This district actually plays a big part in continuing Yuuji's traditional natures, as the Citadel tends to request many of the influential inhabitants of the district to reiterate their beliefs to their followers. Kurosawa District Kurosawa is the Yuujian equivalent of 'upper-middle class' and is generally the home of moderately successful families who wished to leave the cluttered underpaid Nayome job market, or citizens of Yae-Jo who either fell from fame or desired a quieter life. It is one of the calmest and most independent districts, many of Yuuji's earthen facilities like farms being located here, due to the areas cleaner atmosphere. Outer Island Districts Yuuji has three 'outer island districts', which is the title given to areas of land that are located slightly off-shore, but still contain citizens or facilities. Two of three contain mostly fisheries and agriculture, where the third is the location of a restricted cultural site. This third island is titled "The God's Forge", and during Yuuji's birthday, the Solstice, it lights up brilliant colours, assumed to be a result of Ichor on the island. Culture Yuuji is almost exclusively descended biologically from Japan and South Korea, and so it's genetic makeup (besides the Ichor) is exclusively Asian, although skin tone does vary depending on the area. This effect is not nearly the same as Yuuji's isolation has effected their culture, which has evolved and shifted significantly since it's inception. Religion Yuujians very rarely consider their beliefs and morals in any way religious, but seeing as they're derived from the worship of a god and a queen, and many of their traditions are purely spiritual practices, they can easily be seen and considered as such. In schools all the way up to high school the first class of the day is begun with the students being instructed to put their hands together and chant 'Praise Yuuji' in unison, instead of a national anthem or similar daily routine. This is mandated by the Citadel and is claimed to be intended to reinforce the first empress' name in Yuuji's inhabitants' heads. Yuujians also view the night and sleep as being representative of the Dream God, Descent, them being titled after their ability to influence Human and Angel dreams. Staying up for an entire night, thus, is extremely looked down upon, as its seen as a rejection of Descent's influence. Yuujian Language In Yuuji there are two primary languages, the first being native Yuujian, a confusing mix of Japanese and Korean, and the second being English. The latter tends to be a popular choice for youth due to it being generally simpler and easier to understand, but Yuujian is used nearly exclusively by professionals, especially those in the Citadel. Popular music artists tend to mix the two for lyrical flare, but this often makes music more confusing for those who enjoy singing along. The Citadel of Yuuji Yuuji doesn't have a wholly traditional government, instead it is controlled in its entirety by a number of layers of authority, collectively referred to as the Citadel of Yuuji. They are named after Yuuji's capital building, the Citadel, which was both Sora Yuuji's home and final resting place, and is considered the most important location in the country. The Citadel functions similarly to a typical Western governmental system, but with a few notable differences. The Yuujian empress is decided exclusively by blood relation to Sora Yuuji, and they will always bear the same surname. If there are multiple of Sora's children capable of filling the role, the Citadel will attempt to select one collectively based on their interpretation of each candidate. Yuujian citizens have effectively no control over this process, unless a member of the Citadel makes their decision based on public opinion, which is rare. In the rare case that there ever comes a time where there is no one of the Yuuji bloodline left or capable of filling the role, the system is prepared to replace the line with the most capable member of the Citadel at the time. Members of the Citadel can be selected for discharge if enough other members find them to be unfit for their position, or actively malicious. This system is in place to minimize possible corruption within the system, but has been known to experience issues when manipulated. The Citadel has 2 general layers below members who live in the actual building, who are classified and rarely spoken about, who are below only the empress themselves. The second layer consists of public law workers, usually entitled to modifying laws and changing systems within their designated district. Often this layer is simply referred to as 'District Leaders', but this tends to be inaccurate generally. The lowest layer consists of those who own schools and law enforcement offices, who are classified as Citadel members, but very rarely actually have any power equivalent to such, notably being unable to make complaints about other Citadel members at all. The Solstice The Solstice is an important event in Yuujian culture for being Yuuji's 'birthday'. The country was not actually founded on the Solstice, but it was decided as a good representation of the nation's birth due to the Dream God's inability to speak to Sora Yuuji during the day, making the longest night of the year the closest they come to meeting it. The Solstice takes place on December 22nd every year, and is typically celebrated from the morning prior to the afternoon following, since a vast majority of the festivities happen during the night. The event is also marked by The God's Forge erupting into lights from off shore, colouring the sky with bright ribbons, similar to the Northern Lights. Yuuji Child Care Yuuji has a very strong cultural opinion towards having children, considering Sora laced her words with how much she was excited to be doing so, and so the Citadel has an entire subsection specifically designed around the protection of children and assistance of parenting. Things they do range from paying underpaid parents, providing biological support for same-sex couples who want children, and safely removing corrupted family situations. Not all of these systems are flawless, the former often being abused and the latter often not being able to properly find families where this is the case, but the system does effectively increase the nations birth rate to a level likely slightly higher than is healthy for its ongoing future. Extra Notes * Despite the many versions of Rock Candy that have existed, Yuuji has always been an island nation of some kind. * Yuuji is 902 years old as of Rock Candy, and 920 as of Jawbreaker. **Yuujians count years based on the age of the country, making the Solstice effectively New Years. This age is written as Y number to differentiate it from out-world date systems.